


Dreams and Parallel Lines

by demigodishlymagical



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Could Be Canon, F/M, PJO, Sad with fluff, percabeth, percabeth break up, percabeth memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-05
Updated: 2019-10-05
Packaged: 2020-11-24 15:50:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20910182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demigodishlymagical/pseuds/demigodishlymagical
Summary: They knew the breakup was coming. It was inevitable, despite all the hope they falsely fed to each other. Because the truth was, they always had different visions, their lives were like two parallel lines, always running next to each other but never intersecting, they just hadn't realized it yet.orPercy and Annabeth say goodbye to each other before leaving to college thousands of miles apart.





	Dreams and Parallel Lines

Annabeth laid still beside him, she hadn't said anything since she slipped his t-shirt on and pressed her back against his chest.

"What's going on in your mind, Wise Girl?" Percy reached a hand out, pushing a damp curl out of her face.

She rolled over, now looking him in the eyes, "What are we doing?"

"We're having post-breakup sex." Percy grinned.

"Why?" her face was burning red now, "Shouldn't we be angry at each other? Shouldn't we be erasing each other from our memories? Burning our pictures and ranting to our friends?"

"No..." he trailed off for a moment,he wanted to say this wasn't a real break up, but that would be a lie. It was a break-up, after today they wouldn't be boyfriend and girlfriend anymore, they wouldn't even be on the same coast. "We're different, we're allowed to grieve in different ways than everyone else. This is only temporary."

Annabeth’s grey eyes began filling with tears. She’d cried a lot in the past day, the past week, the past few months. So many people mistook Annabeth for this rigid, strong girl, but the truth was that when she was with Percy, she always wore her heart on her sleeve.

Percy pulled her closer, he hadn’t cried. Yet.

* * *

  
They both knew the breakup was coming, it was inevitable. Everyone expected Percy and Annabeth to go to the same college, live together, get married, the whole nine yards. And for a while they pretended to live in that same world too. There had been a time when Percy really thought that this perfect world of his would come true, that after high school they’d move to Camp Jupiter together, go to New Rome University, and move in together. But the truth was, they always had different visions, their lives were like two parallel lines, always running next to each other but never intersecting, they just hadn't realized it yet.

When they’d finally had the _talk _and realized the different courses they’d set for their lives, they still thought they could make it work. Berkeley basically neighbored Camp Jupiter, they could still be together and follow their separate dreams. Annabeth pretended to be excited by this, for Percy's sake, but the truth was, Berkeley wasn't her dream. But she'd accept it for Percy.

That is, until Annabeth got the acceptance letter from Cornell University. The best architecture school in the nation.

_This_ was Annabeth’s dream.

Sally was so proud she took them all out for dinner and bragged to the waiter that her pseudo-daughter made it into Cornell. Percy was silent most of the night, guilty from the realization that he'd tried holding Annabeth back and upset that they hadn't been dreaming the same thing. This was the day they realized their dreams would never intersect with one another's.

So while Percy committed to New Rome University, Annabeth committed to Cornell.

They came to the unspoken agreement that they wouldn’t discuss the break-up until it needed to happen. That was today, the night before they left for college.

Sally had hosted a big going-away party for the two of them. The Jackson-Blofis apartment was filled with their demigod friends, some mortal friends, Athena and Poseidon had even made an appearance. While Percy and Annabeth appreciated it, a selfish part of them wanted this night to themselves. Sally and Paul must have realized it because after everyone had gone home they also left the apartment with Estelle, saying their goodbyes to Percy and Annabeth then instead of at the airport in the morning.

* * *

That was three hours ago and now it was almost four in the morning. They had to be up in two hours to make it to the airport on time. But for now the only thing that seemed to matter in the world, was each other.

“Why can’t we make it work?” Annabeth dug her head into Percy’s neck. He didn’t answer, they already both knew why. Neither of them wanted to be responsible for holding the other back.

“I never would’ve admitted it back then, but I think I’ve been slowly falling in love with you since we were twelve. I thought you were really cute back then.” He twirled a finger around what he’d once referred to as princess curls.

“You still drool in her sleep.” Annabeth let out a small laugh, “And I thought you were cute too. I think I started falling in love with you when you saved me from the Sirens and then each year I just fell more and more with each stupidly heroic thing you did for me.”

Percy shrugged, “I would’ve done it for any of my friends.” Then he added, “I don’t think I told you this, but when I met Aphrodite, I saw her as you. The reason I couldn’t stay on Ogygia was because I kept thinking about you. When I became invincible, you were the thing that kept me tied to the mortal world. When Hera wiped my memories, you were the only thing I remembered. It’s always been you, Annabeth.”

Annabeth’s eyes were getting watery again, “Anyone who would fall into Tartarus with me has got to be someone pretty special.”

Percy’s expression went blank, they never talked about Tartarus. _Never_. It had taken a huge toll on their lives, for months they couldn’t even sleep apart from each other because they’d wake up from nightmares crying and screaming out for the other. They both knew the source of their terrors, they both comforted each other, but they after it had passed they never spoke about it.

“When we were falling, I thought we were going to die, so I kept saying I love you over and over again. Because those are what I wanted my last words to be. I didn’t care if you couldn’t hear me, I just wanted to say it. Because even after everything the gods put us through, I wouldn’t trade it for anything because I had you.” Annabeth touched the spot in his hair where gray streak once was, “You were worth it all, Percy Jackson.”  
  
  


* * *

The next day they dragged whatever they hadn’t already sent, into a taxi and rode it to La Guardia. It should have been a warm September day, but instead the sky was a gray overcast, threatening to sprinkle with rain, shadowing their moods.

The cab ride was silent and so was the walk into the airport. By the time they checked in their baggage and gotten their tickets, it was 7:38. Annabeth’s flight left at 8:15. Percy’s was at 9.

They sat on the bench in silence for another fifteen minutes before Annabeth spoke up, “So this is it.”

“For now.” Percy said quickly.

“What if,” Annabeth’s voice broke, “What if something happens to one of us? Or we find someone else? Or we just don’t want to come back?”

These were all the reasons they’d decided a break-up was necessary.

Before Percy could assure her none those things would happen, she interrupted, “I have to leave, I don’t want to miss my flight. Stay safe. And call me when you’ve landed.”

Percy got the feeling she was trying to get out of there before she started crying again. Before she could turn around, Percy pulled her into a hug.

"What belongs to the sea will always return to the sea." Percy touched the red coral hanging from Annabeth's necklace, "If we're meant to be, and I know we are, we'll always find our way back to each other. And I don't care if it's in one year or ten or twenty. I love you, Annabeth Chase."

Annabeth stood up on her tip toes and pressed a soft kiss against his lips.

"I love you Percy," she murmured.

Then she turned around and walked into the terminal. Before Percy could really process what had just happened, she was gone, and he finally allowed himself to cry, praying to every god there was that one day their dreams would intersect.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first published fic. It's pretty short but I hope you like it.
> 
> Obviously, I never want Percabeth to breakup, but this feels like something that could happen in canon. After re-reading pjo I realized Annabeth actually shows her emotions and cries a lot more than we ever acknowledge and I wanted to channel that. Also I just really like writing sad Percabeth.
> 
> follow me on my tumblr: demigodishlymagical


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